ABSTRACT
Europeans were acquainted with the apple when they arrived in the New World. Indeed, their languages contained a number of words to describe the basic apple and its dozens of
cultivars and hybrids. Pallidus wrote in the 4th century A.D. that Rome grew 37 varieties (Bianchinni and Corbetta 1975); now between 7000 and 8000 cultivars are listed worldwide (Davidson 1999).
